How to prepare a company to implement a product configurator?

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Creating a product configurator (or, as we prefer to say at EXSO, a sales configurator) is a process to which it is worth inviting representatives of the sales and customer service department, the quoting and fulfillment department, the purchasing department and those involved in marketing. All this to be able to look at the process of selecting product components as fully as possible from two important points of view - the customer and production. The customer - because we need to know what the customer's preferences are in terms of putting the product together ourselves. The production department - because we cannot allow the customer to create sets that are unrealistic and too costly.

Target group and its expectations

Different customers use the company's products. An important question is whether they will all be addressees of the product configurator. The level of complexity of the solution provided, the language of the message and even the graphic design will depend on this decision. This knowledge will be especially important in such a situation, when the configurator will be used directly by the customer. If, on the other hand, the customer's wishes will be taken by a salesman and put together in the configurator himself, the level of complexity of the solution should relate to the customer's needs.

If we decide that customers will be able to compose their own product, let's consider what we know about them. How old are such customers? What language do they speak? What is their knowledge of the product? To what extent can they independently determine the desired features of the product, such as dimensions or materials used? The biggest support here will be the sales department, which is most often in contact with the customer and knows their characteristics. It also knows the customer's preferences and will be able to answer such questions as:

• What elements or components does the product consist of? Which of them can become the subject of individual selection?
• How many options in a given area (e.g., materials, colors, sizes) can we offer the customer?
• In what order should the customer select the next items?
• How does the customer name the different options? Which wording will be unambiguous to him? Which ones should be clarified to leave no doubt?

Before a company that wants to provide its customers with the option of individualizing products invests in such a solution, it should make solid preparations for it. All this in order to be able to monetize its efforts as soon as possible.

Cost-effectiveness and feasibility of assumptions

When preparing a product configurator, let's also consider the extent to which we are able to meet the customer's expectations and where the limit of profitability of these expectations is. The design office, fulfillment department or purchasing department will help determine these conditions:

• Which elements of the configuration conflict with each other?
• What is not worth doing?
• How long does it take to purchase and assemble the various components? At what time can we offer the customer to receive the final product?
• What regulations apply to the industry? How do they affect the selection of solutions?
• In what case will additional approvals or expertise be needed?

Benefits

In many companies, the implementation of a product configurator creates fear instead of enthusiasm. Salespeople are afraid of losing their jobs and their role in the organization. The fulfillment department fears design errors or the customer setting unrealistic expectations. Therefore, before starting work on this solution, the crew should receive assurances about the safety of their jobs and learn about the benefits of the configurator, such as increasing the number of customers, reducing sales time and better understanding the preferences of their audience.

In our company we realize product configurators for various customers. These are then either used by salespeople or made directly available to customers.

For more information on how to prepare for the implementation of the product configurator and how to carry out the entire process smoothly, see our manual.